Newcomers Dominate

(St. Louis, MO) – As Ohio Valley and Missouri Valley Conference teams jostle for position, weekly awards have been announced by our two leagues, and there were spectacular performances by league members this week.

Missouri Valley Conference

Clayton Custer has been slowly climbing into a place of prominence among Valley watchers. The Loyola junior has helped spark the Ramblers to a seven game winning streak and the team is 16-1 overall when Custer is in the lineup.

Custer averaged 17.5 points and five assists in Loyola’s two conference wins, including a season high 21 points against Northern Iowa. Custer, this week’s ‘Player of the Week’ connected on 75% of his shots during those two games.

Illinois State’s Milik Yarbrough is dominating the ‘Newcomer of the Week’ competition. The 6’6 Saint Louis U transfer earned his fourth weekly award by averaging a double-double (18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game) and dishing out 12 total assists.

Ohio Valley Conference

Christian Mekowulu packaged back-to-back spectacular performances sparking Tennessee State to a pair of home wins. This week’s ‘Player of the Week’ opened the week with 25 points and finished with a 27 point performance, including his season’s fifth double-double. The weekly honor is the fourth of Mekowulu’s career. He twice won ‘Freshman of the Week’ honors and received the ‘Player of the Week’ award earlier this season.

Like Yarbrough in the MVC, Austin Peay’s Averyl Ugba has all but wrapped up the OVC’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’, by winning his sixth ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award by averaging a double-double in the Governors’ two wins. The Grambling State transfer averaged 15.5 points and 12 rebounds, including his sixth double-double of the season.

Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor earned his fifth ‘Freshman of the Week’ award. His 42 point/16 rebound week, was just another outstanding performance by the Bowling Green native. The 6’5 forward is currently second in the OVC in rebounding and eighth in scoring. He is one of the leaders of a highly talented OVC freshmen class.